Bishops required by canon law to refuse Communion to pro-abortion politicians: Vatican official

February 05, 2009

Archbishop Raymond Burke has repeated his argument that bishops are obligated by canon law to withhold Communion from public officials who support legal abortion. "The Church's law is very clear," the archbishop told LifeSite News in an exclusive interview. Archbishop Burke, formerly of the St. Louis archdiocese, speaks with considerable authority on matters of canon law, since he is now the head of the Apostolic Signatura, the Church's top canonical court. LifeSite reports:

Archbishop Burke called "nonsense" the accusation, regularly made by some bishops, that refusing Holy Communion "makes the Communion rail a [political] battle ground."

 

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Further information:

• Vatican Official: Bishops Have no Choice But to Refuse Communion to Pro-Abort Politicians (LifeSite News)